Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-12-17
A. p. M. 10 s.Pareut No, L.,


his opinion, and that he now confesses that til,
student Will, ''at some stage OF his progress" d
rive beneft from translating English sentences
into Latin parent" believes that this practic,
will be especially advantageous to those who ex
pect to teach, and yet he would restrict the writ
ing OF English into Latin to t-graauate course
As very few students can AFFORD the tim,
and as many men who, during their college course
do not expect TO become teachers ultimately ente
The profession OF teaching, a very large majority
views OF "Parent" should prevail, be declared
from pursuing the very line OF study which, a
"Parent" himself acknowledges, adds TO the EN-
cheney OF teachers. In former article "Par-
emit advocated greater thoroughness In the
study OF Latin. II the practice OF rendering
English sentences into Latin will make those who
expect to teach more thorough, why will IL moi
add to the thoroughness OF the general student:
We are told that "Dr. Arnold viewed the matter Of
she desired to make his pupils OF the high
est attachments" teacher who does not
"view his profession from an elevated standpoint
petent and surely the teacher is to be pitied who
does not aim 10 make his pupils scholars OF the
highest Attachments" Would ''parentn have the
Instructor, selfish In the possession OF high attain
ments and thoroughness OF knowledge, deny these
advantages to earnest and ambitious pupils and
refuse to train them In method which he con.
feSseS will make them thorough? But we are told
that there is loss OF time In the pursuit OF this
practice. 'tOnce upon time boy attended a
school taught by man who did not drill his pupil
in tranS.ating English into Latin, but who was
reckoned skillful teacher. The boy studied tin
nd Stufed IL, TOO, TO the best or his AGILITY for
about nfteen months but at the end OF that time
he had learned so lite OF the language that he
desired to abandon the study OF II. The next SEES
sion came a different teacher, who introduced the
practice mentioned above. With no more diligent
study, the boy learned with this teacher under The
neW system. as much Latin within four months as
he had acquired under the old method with the
former teacher in fftren months II personal
nafnnn har hn
the writer Is there any valid objection TO this
practice in the fact that the first Efforts OF STU
dent will be poor" Was Parent brilliant In
Must every study In the beginning OF which The
attempts OF students are "po0r" be abandoned?
We are told 'extreme labor and difficulty" attenl
the young pupil when he endeavOrs 10 render En-
gliSh words into Latin. IL student has learned
that se,ptts means ''slave" est ''is' ana bonus
the is sooG eoes not OF
yet sentences even simpler than this one con-
stitute the beginning OF our English-Lstin
exercise books Ii would not seem that '.there
is actual injury done to the mental faculties of
pupils"-pupiis Old enough TO study La, ip-in re-
Quiring them to turn into Latin "he is" ave are,
not be advisable TO begin these exercises with
babies that cannot walk or with idiots that cannot
think; but "Parent" will probably not md such as
According to the old system OF teaching Latin the
pupil had TO plod YEARLY through some ponderous
grammar, the dreary monotOny varied ny no eXer-
be committed to memory whether It was Under
stood not, and at last, without any training In
gradu ated exercises, without any practical Illus
Lration OF rules or exceptions, afuer two or three
years of what We may really call 'extreme labor "
the pupil began the translation-a slow and pain
full translation 1t was tooof some author In these
enlightened days. the student learns a lesson I'm
grammar and then has an exercise In Latin TO be
tran lated into English, followed by English
TO- De into Latin the
every point studied in the grammar Later
on the student translates Into Latin sen.
fences either rendered directly from some Latin
Cesar Cicero, Ivy, Sallust. &c. Thus the student
Is made 80 familiar with the style OF these writer's
piex ana difiic1lt constructions, that he reads
with far greater facility and exactness, time and
again meeting with sentences and idioms which
Of hisexercises In the study OF chemistry and
physics we may as well dispense with the expert
ments that illustrate the principles as In the study
force the forms and rules of the Latin grammar.
II this practice Is worthless why have ninetynine
teachers in every hundred adopted it? Would all
the universities, colleges and preparatory schools
OF our country require q method las they all re-
guire this method II 1t were injurious and use
lessf
CONCERNING PRONUNCIATION.
In the matter OF pronunciation, "Parent" con-
tinues his attack upon the "Old Roman" method.
He says that scholars have only appropriated to
the correct methoGv and EnOU virtually nothing
about it. The GreeKs, whose association with The
Romans was intimate, always wrote Cesar Kdi ar,
Cicero KikeroW, Virgil ONirgiisos, &C. Thus we
see that the Greeks heard the Romans
pronounce only as 4. Quintthan, an emf
nent Latin writer, says tina. and had IN! me
same force, as In meter. so in sound" or the
dipnthongs O. and 9 were originally nj and Of
The Latin {sh0rt) was pronounced as q In Cuba; Q
(short) as in met; pronounce q and rapidly To-
Rether, and you have the sound OF at In the Eng.
Ish aisle. SO a and u (short) give oO. The pro-
method Is In almost exact harmony with the
sounds OF the vowels In Sanskrtt, Greek, Italian,
and French. Therefore, We cannot justly pro-
nounce q method, the principles OF which are also
the principles as respects soundhof four other
prominent languages OF the Indo,European sys-
TEN "a galvanized mummy" II would rather
seem that for the sake OF Derivation comparative
phiIology ana the very philosophy ofiang1age, the
method which saosOs the kinship Of the Latin TO 20
many other languages should be the method for
the student. ssParenJ" says that "lhe greatest
scholars may err In judgment" and 1ntlmatos that
the laymanb opinion Is quite a. valuable In regard
" this matter as that Of tho profound scholar. II
siderable time 70 the study OF these sub1ectA end
who blinded By an eld-iashtoned prejudice, d.
rides what be calls ian innovation, " u Tar more
likely to orr than the men who devote their entire
lives 70 the study Of . subJocL who bring 70 bear
upon &c Ill the acumen, AL the skill, which trained
intellect and yeas q calm, sa>eariac research
A sangis lsttse at ths alphabet when Il intyudes
thtngA a for instance when q make . 0loos en-
tog1d rof69 70 Mayor 0Drian - uaEight tnseead q
upright - wos ~ ease en rxiday.-Boefoss